Right-of-Way

The power line on or near your property is a vital link that supplies energy that serves all of us. We understand how important trees can be to homeowners and to communities. In order to lesson the possibility of power outages, Oakdale Electric Cooperative (OEC) has an aggressive program of right-of-way maintenance.

Oakdale vegetation management crews will remove all brush and trees from within the thirty (30) foot wide line right-of-way for single phase line and forty (40) foot wide line right-of-way for three phase line in order to avoid any vegetation contact with the electric wires that may cause an outage or fire. The program includes the physical removal of brush and trees and controlling the re-growth with the use of herbicides.

The crews must also remove tall or leaning trees that are located just outside the line right-of-way that may fall into the line during high winds or under severe storm conditions. A tree or branch that touches the line can cause a line outage that affects the quality and reliability of electrical service to everyone in the area. It is equally important that the line right-of-way remain clear so that OEC has access to the line facilities for normal line maintenance.

Remember too, that some lines are underground. OEC requires a minimum clearance of twenty (20) feet on each side of underground cable to accommodate the trenching equipment used to replace, repair or upgrade underground cable.

Trees that should not be planted near power lines are tall or fast-growing varieties such as:

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